Twin sisters in 1892 West Africa are abruptly separated during a raid of their home by enslavers.Slavery has been outlawed in the Gold Coast, but some hold on to old practices. Hassana and Husseina have the special bond of twins, and forcible separation severely affects them. Hassana escapes to a village where she is adopted by Englishman Richard Burtt and learns to help with his research into medicinal plants. Meanwhile, Husseina is purchased and taken to Lagos, where she is rescued by religious woman Yaya Silvina, given the name Vitória, taught to sew, and brought into the new Candomblé faith. Eventually, Husseina endures an ocean voyage to Brazil with Yaya, where they engage in spiritual pursuits, while Hassana makes it to Accra and becomes active in the movement for independence from the British. Hassana continues to dream of her sister and longs to find her. Religion gives Husseina a strong sense of herself apart from her role as a twin, but Yaya's death sends her back to Lagos with a chance of finding Hassana. This sweeping story is rich in detail, and the settings are vividly evoked. The sisters' connection is complex, and their diverging experiences make their eventual reunion more difficult than expected. The distinctions between various cultural groups are clear, as are the impacts of slavery and colonialism, however, the two young women remain the center of this memorable story.A successful exploration of rich cultural experiences and enduring familial connections. (Historical fiction. 12-18)

This novel (first published in the U.K. in 2020) offers a compelling view of West African history as a backdrop for a story of sibling bonding and coming of age. In 1892, ten-year-old twin sisters Hassana and Husseina are kidnapped and sold into slavery following a raid on their village. Hassana remains in what is now Ghana, and Husseina is taken to Lagos, in what is now Nigeria. Eventually, each attains freedom and transitions into young adulthood with purpose and conviction. Hassana moves to Accra and becomes a political and social activist. Husseina (now known as Vitoria) resides in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, where she is deeply involved in religion. They remain spiritually connected by their persistent desire to find each other and by shared dreams that include pervasive images of the ocean -- but they come to realize that despite their bond, their ordeals have "shaped them into two different young women." Attah's accessible third-person narration, which alternates between the twins' perspectives, effectively conveys the depth of their relationship and their evolving maturity; she also includes meticulously detailed descriptions of the story's African and South American cultures and lifestyles. Themes such as enslavement, religion, diversity, feminism, colonization, and treatment of the mentally ill (a secondary character is held in an asylum) are candidly addressed and seamlessly woven into the complex, captivating story.

Twin sisters in 1892 West Africa are abruptly separated during a raid of their home by enslavers.Slavery has been outlawed in the Gold Coast, but some hold on to old practices. Hassana and Husseina have the special bond of twins, and forcible separation severely affects them. Hassana escapes to a village where she is adopted by Englishman Richard Burtt and learns to help with his research into medicinal plants. Meanwhile, Husseina is purchased and taken to Lagos, where she is rescued by religious woman Yaya Silvina, given the name Vitória, taught to sew, and brought into the new Candomblé faith. Eventually, Husseina endures an ocean voyage to Brazil with Yaya, where they engage in spiritual pursuits, while Hassana makes it to Accra and becomes active in the movement for independence from the British. Hassana continues to dream of her sister and longs to find her. Religion gives Husseina a strong sense of herself apart from her role as a twin, but Yaya's death sends her back to Lagos with a chance of finding Hassana. This sweeping story is rich in detail, and the settings are vividly evoked. The sisters' connection is complex, and their diverging experiences make their eventual reunion more difficult than expected. The distinctions between various cultural groups are clear, as are the impacts of slavery and colonialism, however, the two young women remain the center of this memorable story.A successful exploration of rich cultural experiences and enduring familial connections. (Historical fiction. 12-18)